Farm Raids – Small Farms Need Your Support!

Last weekend at the Weston A. Price Conference I watched excerpts from a film that disturbed me. This film showed small farms being raided by the government.

In the United States of America.

I watched as a farmer’s wife, with tears streaming down her face, told the story of how her family farm was taken over by government officials in uniform, with guns drawn and ready to be used.

It’s through agencies like the FDA and USDA, wielding such power and authority over our rights and freedoms, that now small farmers are vulnerable and are being threatened in their homes with guns. The farms that have been invaded are being accused with no just cause of any laws being broken.

It’s difficult to believe that this is going on – that the availability of our safe and healthy food is being torn apart at its very foundations; but it’s happening. It’s not being reported by the mainstream news. In fact, the story you’ll hear is really quite different than what’s actually going on.

The film depicted raids conducted on the premises of various small, family farms. In all cases, there was no real legal justification for the raids. I watched how agents made unreasonable demands and the family members told stories of being held hostage in their own homes for hours, as well as their children being intimidated and terrorized.

What have these farmers done? Have they broken laws or done something illicit? No. They are merely producing and selling healthy, nourishing food to willing customers. Since when has that been a crime?

It seems inconceivable to people when I tell them this story. They can’t believe this is where our government dollars are and law enforcement efforts are being spent. But believe it, it’s happening.

These sustainable producers and a variety of others have submitted to government agents coming onto their property and demanding the surrender of products they produce. The number of raids over the last year alone has increased substantially. Law enforcement officers confiscate products and the farm must close its doors, sometimes permanently. All of our country’s sustainable, family farms must continue to live in fear each day that their way of life could come to an end. Our sustainable food system is in severe jeopardy!

What can YOU do?

It’s up to us, the citizens of this country, to put a stop to this activity…make your voice heard! Learn all you can about these raids. Here is Victoria Bloch discussing the raid which occurred at Rawsome Buyer’s Club. Watch this unbelievable video about the raid at Rawsome Buying Club in Venice, CA in June of 2010 (including footage of authorities with GUNS DRAWN).

Don’t put your money in Big Agriculture. Support your local, sustainable farmers and encourage others to do the same!

Go to the Real Food Media Farm Fund page and get on the alert list to be notified when family farms are in need of your help. That way you will be notified when farms are in need of your help. PLEASE DONATE whatever you can. Even $5 helps!

8 Comments

Wow, totally despicable. Do they do that to industrial farms? No, of course they don’t. What gives them the right to terrorize real food. And so many people actually put up with this crap or never look beyond the mainstream. Its junkfood and industrial farms that deserve to be shut down and people should be forced to spend more to get their food from alternative sustainable sources. Funnily, whenever people ignore these issues they hasten their own death by promoting an unsustainable system that destroys the environment. When the environment is destroyed there will be mass food riots everywhere and all those fat, lazy, and worthless junkfood-crazed sheeple are going to wish they’d done very differently. Seriously, we’re in a race right now to stop climate change and pollution cesspool industrial farms are only promoting it.

I was hoping you would take part in this Raine, and you sure did!
Thank you for adding your powerful voice to this effort. The only thing that can stop the raids and save the farms is a massive public outcry, and we must speak out, every effective way we can.

S510 is stalled for now, but it will be back on November 29, and we must raise our voices in protest yet again. Every one of us who calls, blogs, writes, and speaks has an effect. We can stop this evil and save real food!

Thanks for your comments Stanley! It’s truly appalling that we are having to defend the right of sustainable farmers to sell real food to the consumer. I don’t know what country this is anymore. I never signed on for such government interference in my rights and freedoms. I’m not trying to be extreme here either, as I know some people associate the type of statement I just made with being too-far right or being some type of “do-away with the government” fanatic. The truth is, I think government has its place and function, but when our abilities to procure real, healthy food are put in jeopardy, things have truly gone too far. Those reading this blog should know that I have spent the last number of years of my life trying to be apolitical…because the political system in this country is going down the tubes fast. I don’t consider myself a democrat or republican because I’ve seen what both sides do to fix problems, and neither of them are doing anything useful to remedy the really important issues – health care, the food system, and the job market. I realize there is no perfect solution that everyone can agree on – but I think if you ask anyone on the street, they would tell you that people should have the right to consume healthy food. Why is it that large, corporate conglomerates are allowed to continue selling toxic garbage that keeps landing on recall lists, and merely receive a slap on the hand…when small, sustainable farmers trying to offer good, healthy, clean products to consumers are effectively wiped off the map and shut down? This makes no sense. That’s why we must continue fighting and never stop until we drive the point home.

Hey Raine,
Great post, as usual. Why indeed. Why do large, corporations simple get a slap on the hand? Government agencies are not ridding the country of spinach after the E. Coli debaucle. Why raw milk and small farms: no power. Simple. That is why our blogging and coming together creates a voice for those that have none. Always a pleasure reading!

Hi Nancy! Well, I think we unfortunately all know the answer to why these farms are getting raided. It’s so they can justify ridiculous, obstructing laws being passed like The Food Safety and Modernization Act and other heinous food regulatory laws that don’t solve the problem – which is food is no longer food,and the growing and production methods used are doing nothing for our health but causing problems and making us and the environment sick. And people who defend it think we’re incompetent, crazy, and irrational. It’s quite astounding how logic and reality have been turned against us in this world. We must support our local, sustainable farms, period. There is no try, only do. Thanks Nancy for your support!

Shealy Farm & Gardens/Operation Victory Gardens: One word WOW!! I own a farm that is self sustainable and all organic. We give school children garden starter kits and educate them on nutrition and healthy growing. We give a percentage to homeless shelters and people in need of fresh produce. We also run special projects. French drain systems to collect soft rain water, FEMA syngas generator and sand bag housing. I started to get some awkward e-mail’s saying that i should be careful with what im doing and that the U.S. Gov. does not like people like me. Two months later i was approached at my home by 3 guys in suits identifying themselves ads NSa agents and that they wanted to question me on my operation. I told them we are an organic food farm and that we enjoy helping our community. Ill make this short….A month later my farm was robbed of equipment and things destroyed. Looks like we are not allowed to teach and help dependent communities become self sustained. I am very angered but not scared and i will only keep pushing forward even more to show and people be self sustainable. our farm is certainly in need of donations. We really need 5 thousand to continue this years operation. Please help!!